Clinicopathological Characteristics and Survival of Small Cell Carcinoma of the Salivary Gland: a Population-Based Study

Prognostic analysis and establishment of a nomogram in patients with myoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary gland: A population-based study

BACKGROUND

Currently, the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of myoepithelial carcinoma of salivary gland (MC-SG) have not been defined well. The present study aimed to describe the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of MC-SG patients.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was searched for all patients diagnosed with MC-SG between 1991 and 2016. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used to evaluate the survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to identify prognostic biomarkers for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). Furthermore, a prognostic nomogram was established, and its predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were determined using the concordance index (C-index).

RESULTS

In total, 245 patients diagnosed with MC-SG were identified. The median OS was 152.0 months, with 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of 79.8%, 69.2%, and 50.3%. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year DSS rates were 82.5%, 77.1%, and 61.9%, respectively. Regarding the treatment regimen, most patients (92.2%) underwent surgery, and 103 patients (42.4%) received postoperative radiotherapy. Surgery could significantly prolong OS and DSS (p < .05), but postoperative radiotherapy did not significantly prolong OS and DSS when compared with individuals receiving surgery alone (p > .05). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that T category (T4), lymph node metastasis (N2), distant metastasis (M1), and poor differentiation were independent unfavorable prognostic factors for OS and DSS. Older age (>62 years) was also independently associated with OS. In addition, the C-index for the established OS- and DSS-specific nomogram was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.72-0.88) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.73-0.90).

CONCLUSION

Age, tumor invasion, metastases, and pathological grade were independently associated with prognosis of MC-SG patients, and the prognostic nomogram of this rare disease was established.

Competing-risks nomograms for predicting cause-specific mortality in parotid-gland carcinoma: A population-based analysis

INTRODUCTION

Parotid-gland carcinoma (PGC) is a relatively rare tumor that comprises a group of heterogeneous histologic subtypes. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database to apply a competing-risks analysis to PGC patients, and then established and validated predictive nomograms for PGC.

METHODS

Specific screening criteria were applied to identify PGC patients and extract their clinical and other characteristics from the SEER database. We used the cumulative incidence function to estimate the cumulative incidence rates of PGC-specific death (GCD) and other cause-specific death (OCD), and tested for differences between groups using Gray's test. We then identified independent prognostic factors by applying the Fine-Gray proportional subdistribution hazard approach, and constructed predictive nomograms based on the results. Calibration curves and the concordance index (C-index) were employed to validate the nomograms.

RESULTS

We finally identified 4,075 eligible PGC patients who had been added to the SEER database from 2004 to 2015. Their 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative incidence rates of GCD were 10.1%, 21.6%, and 25.7%, respectively, while those of OCD were 2.9%, 6.6%, and 9.0%. Age, race, World Health Organization histologic risk classification, differentiation grade, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) T stage, AJCC N stage, AJCC M stage, and RS (radiotherapy and surgery status) were independent predictors of GCD, while those of OCD were age, sex, marital status, AJCC T stage, AJCC M stage, and RS. These factors were integrated for constructing predictive nomograms. The results for calibration curves and the C-index suggested that the nomograms were well calibrated and had good discrimination ability.

CONCLUSION

We have used the SEER database to establish-to the best of our knowledge-the first competing-risks nomograms for predicting the 1-, 3-, and 5-year cause-specific mortality in PGC. The nomograms showed relatively good performance and can be used in clinical practice to assist clinicians in individualized treatment decision-making.

A population-based analysis of adenosquamous carcinoma of the salivary gland

Background

Adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) of the salivary gland is a rare malignancy, and the characteristics and prognosis of this disease remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the clinicopathological characteristics of this rare disease and further determine the potential prognostic factors that affect its outcome.

Methods

Data of patients with ASC of the salivary gland were extracted retrospectively from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 1973 and 2016. The clinicopathological characteristics of these patients were assessed, and prognostic factors were further determined using Cox regression analysis.

Results

A total of 106 patients with ASC of the salivary gland were identified. The mean age at diagnosis was 66.1±14.9 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.47. The parotid gland was the most common primary site (N=91; 85.8%). The 1-, 2-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 71.5%, 55.0%, 41.5%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were 80.8%, 72.2%, and 59.2%, respectively. The OS and DSS shortened with increasing tumor stage, regardless of the American Joint Committee on Cancer tumor-node-metastasis stage or SEER historic stage. Surgery was the main treatment option to improve survival, and post-operative radiotherapy could also prolong OS and DSS (both P<0.01). A multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that distant metastases and the use of surgery or radiation were independent prognostic factors for a favorable OS among patients with ASC of the salivary gland, and early stage (T1/T2) and the use of surgery were independent prognostic factors for favorable DSS among the patients with ASC of the salivary gland.

Conclusions

This is the largest case series on ASC of the salivary gland. Advanced T stage, distant metastases, and the use of surgery and radiation were associated with OS or DSS of this disease.

Clinicopathological characteristics, treatment and prognosis of head & neck small cell carcinoma: a SEER population-based study

Background

To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of head and neck small cell carcinoma (H&NSmCC) and identify prognostic factors on the basis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database.

Methods

Total of 789 primary cases from 1973 to 2016 were included. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic indicators. An H&NSmCC-specific nomogram was constructed and compared with the AJCC staging system by calculating the time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

The incidence of H&NSmCC peaked during the period of 50 to 70 years old, and the most frequent location was the salivary gland. The 5-year disease specific survival (DSS) was 27%. In the multivariate survival analysis, AJCC III + IV stage [HR = 2.5, P = 0.03, I + II stage as Ref], positive N stage [HR = 1.67, P = 0.05, negative N stage as Ref], positive M stage [HR = 4.12, P = 0.000, negative M stage as Ref] and without chemotherapy [HR = 0.56, P = 0.023, received chemotherapy as Ref] were independently associated with DSS. The H&NSmCC-specific nomogram was built based on the independent prognostic indicators. The nomogram demonstrated better predictive capacity than the AJCC staging system for 5-year DSS [(AUC: 0.75 vs 0.634; Harrell’s C-index (95% CI): 0.7(0.66–0.74) vs 0.59(0.55–0.62), P < 0.05].

Conclusion

N stage, M stage, AJCC stage and chemotherapy were independent prognostic indicators included in the prognostic nomogram model, which can better predict the survival of H&NSmCC than the AJCC staging system.

Population-based analysis of small cell carcinoma of the esophagus using the SEER database

Background

Small cell cancer (SmCC) of the esophagus is a rare malignancy with an aggressive behavior associated with poor survival. The present study aims to determine the clinicopathological characteristics, therapeutic and prognosis.

Methods

Patients with SmCC of the esophagus, diagnosed from 1975 to 2016, were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The clinicopathological characteristics were described and the prognostic factors were further determined using Cox regression analysis.

Results

The median overall survival (mOS) of all 515 patients with SmCC of the esophagus was 7.0 months, and the 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 31.5%, 14.7%, 6.00%, respectively. Patients with chemoradiotherapy (mOS: 12.0 months) had better prognosis than those receiving surgery alone (mOS: 12.0 vs. 4.0 months). The patients receiving surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy had longest survival time (mOS: 19.0 months), followed by patients receiving surgery combined with chemotherapy (14.0 months). The multivariate Cox survival analysis demonstrated that older age, distant metastases were independent prognostic factors. The use of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy were independent favorable prognostic factors (P<0.05 for all).

Conclusions

SmCC of the esophagus is uncommon, older age and distant metastases were independently associated with poor survival. Chemotherapy could provide significant clinical benefit for those patients, especially chemoradiotherapy and surgery combined with chemotherapy.